A Double Barreled Review from the Belmont Lounge: Diplomaticos
#2 and HdM Royal Selection Prensada Maduro Baron (a little Long
Winded)
We had our weekly hang last night at the Belmont Lounge in the Gramercy Park section of NYC. After settling in with DaveC and the rest of the B@st@rds, I ordered up a round of beers (Sam Adams for me, Bass and Guinness for the rest) and fired up the first cigar, a Diplomaticos #2. I'd gotten this one from JThom a few months ago and had always wanted to try one of these Island beauties. This one did not disappoint. It drew, lit and burned perfectly with tons of rich smoke. The cigar started with some sweet spice, much like a Don Carlos #2, but built into flavors of coffee and chocolate, followed by herbs and pepper, culminating in just pure, powerhouse tobacco. This is one awesome cigar! It was even better than I had expected, considering that I hadn't heard much about this brand (it seems to me that most of the kudos for Island cigars is reserved for Monte's, Trinidads, Cohibas, Partagas, QDO, RyJ and Punch). Very highly recommended!
After getting my Long Winded @ss kicked by the Diplomaticos, it was time for some food. Everyone ordered the Belmont Lounge's specialty, Media Noche. This consists of a Cuban sandwich (roasted pork and cheese on grilled Portuguese bread with MOJO sauce -- YEAH BABY!), moros y christos (black beans and rice), fried plantains and salad, all for only $9, making it easily one of the best meal values in NYC (yup, things ain't cheap in the Big City).
Now it was time for cigar number 2, the Hoyo de Monterrey Royal Selection Prensada Maduro Baron. These cigars have the Cuban-style band on them (since they are part of HdM's Royal Selection series). This box pressed beauty came wrapped in a very dark Connecticut broad leaf wrapper. It clipped easily and pre-light draw revealed hints of dark chocolate. The cigar did not light easily, and the burn throughout the smoke was uneven and temperamental, making me think this cigar was young and a little wet. In addition, after lighting, the cigar got soft, which one of my least favorite things to happen to a cigar. Nevertheless, the flavor was good and medium bodied, with chocolate and nutmeg on the palate. This cigar reminded me of a CAO Ani with a little less complexity. My ultimate opinion is that these could use some humidor time (around 6 months) to smooth out the rough edges. I finished up my last beer and headed home in time to catch the season opener of "Oz".
Good smoking!
Fred